Cisco Spaces has simplified one of the most time consuming, complex and crucial tasks performed by IT teams. AP Auto Location – the latest innovation from Spaces – places APs automatically on a digital map. This not only eliminates manual effort, but also facilitates AP deployment that’s unprecedentedly faster. It does this by combining the three cornerstones of the Spaces platform (Location, IoT and Maps).
Traditionally, AP placement and mapping has always been done manually. Once APs are installed, IT teams go to each AP individually to verify its MAC address and mark its location on a map. Typically, this takes approximately seven minutes per AP. That eventually adds up to several hours or days of work, depending on the scale of the network deployment.
To put things in perspective, the number of APs on a network can vary from hundreds to a few thousand. Such as in the case of hospitals, colleges or large enterprises. The task of AP mapping is often outsourced to vendors and becomes a costly, prolonged endeavor. Manual placement also results in inaccuracies such as the wrong MAC addresses being labeled to the wrong AP. Because of the tediousness of the process, a large percentage of organizations do not map their access points today.
With AP Auto Location, this whole process is completed in minutes, on a digital map, with greater accuracy. But what exactly is the need for AP placement and mapping? Is it even relevant for smaller network deployments?
AP Mapping: A Crucial IT function
Irrespective of the size of your network deployment, APs need to communicate with your wireless devices to provide connectivity. If there is any hindrance in this process, it falls upon IT teams to troubleshoot, identify and solve the problem. And troubleshooting without knowing where APs are placed, makes it harder to locate the client or device you are trying to troubleshoot. APs are the reference point to locate all other devices, including rogue devices that can cause problems to your network.
In addition, using Spaces to drive outcomes like asset tracking requires accurate knowledge of where APs are located. It is also important for this information to be available on a map. Simply put, APs are the foundation to making your buildings smart and AP Auto Location is the key to getting it right.
Simplifying Mapping With AP Auto Location
Spaces automatically locates all the APs on a floor, maps them digitally and continuously monitors the deployment for changes. To achieve this, Spaces makes use of a technology called AP to AP ranging, where the APs (both GPS and non GPS APs) essentially communicate and determine their location in relation to each other.
Traditional maps vs Spaces rich maps
One of the most important aspects of AP Auto Location is its use of rich maps to place the APs. Spaces takes a regular CAD file and turns it into a detailed, rich map that can be used on digital signage or a mobile device. These maps then become the blueprint on which all other location services operate. A Spaces rich map offers value to IT and non IT teams alike. While IT teams use the map to locate APs for troubleshooting, a nurse could use the same map to locate a critical asset tagged with an IoT device.
Spaces’ AP Auto Location is so efficient, that the whole process – AP ranging to map placement – is completed in a few easy steps.
- Spaces creates digital maps that are geo-referenced and ready for outcomes.
- AP to AP ranging data is generated and placement can be completely automatic when GPS capable APs are available, or easily adjustable if not.
- Once all the APs are paced, SPaces continuously monitors them for changes and generates alerts when it looks like things may have changed.
AP Auto Location: A Proactive IT Solution
AP placement is often not a one-time task. Over time, changes may need to be made such as installing new APs, making the deployment more dense, or simply moving an AP from one place to another. This is another reason why AP Auto Location is a game changer for IT teams. If for some reason an AP has been moved or new MPs have been added, Cisco Spaces automatically sends out an alert to the IT team and allows them to update the changes instantly.
Learn more about AP Auto Location and request a demo today.
